It has been reported that patients who have Parkinson's disease have a high prevalence of somatisation (functional neurological symptoms) compared with patients who have other neurodegenerative conditions. Numerous explanations have been advanced for this phenomenon. Here, with illustrative cases, we discuss this topic, including its clinical importance, and suggest a link between the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease and the proposed propensity to develop functional symptoms.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease; attention; functional overlay; goal-directed motor control.
© 2013 Movement Disorder Society.